#HerWorkMatters: why labour rights and female empowerment must go together

Last week, the world commemorated the third anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, and called for improved conditions for (often female) garment workers. This includes things you and I might consider basic rights like a workplace that is safe from abuse and accident, with wages that pay enough to actually survive.

‘A Refugee Like Me’ – teaching empathy to the next generation

After the flood: women’s education is crucial to rebuilding in Peru

Beth Rochford, Communications Intern

After a series of extreme floods in Peru since the start of the year have caused widespread damage to the country, Beth. Rochford looks at the enduring importance of education for resilience and rebuilding.

What Does Social Integration Mean?

Ami Saji, Refugee Policy Intern

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Social Integration is currently developing a national strategy to promote improved integration of immigrants to the UK. An interim report was released earlier in the year, which outlined the guiding principles for the post-Brexit integration strategy.

Three women share what education means to them

Emily Loud (Wonder Foundation)

Today, International Women’s Day, we celebrate the determination, achievements and diligence of women around the world who have overcome barriers of gender and disadvantage to fulfil their potential. Jenica, Nicole and Irene have done just that, and we’re proud to work with and for women like them.

It doesn't matter what we call “empowerment”, as long as it can happen

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From a development cliché to a Kardashian marketing meme, 2017 has already seen a fair share of discussion around the term “empowerment”, with commentators arguing that the term has become entirely meaningless. But what if this whole conversation is just a distraction?

Learning from 2016: a year that made the case for education and opportunity

Friends and equals: how volunteering changed my view of refugees

Virginia Colungo, a Spanish EVS volunteer at Wonder Foundation

I have been involved in a European Volunteering Service (EVS) project with Wonder Foundation for 2 months. The project tries to improve the integration of refugees and immigrants who arrive in London, but – to my surprise - I am the first beneficiary.

Educating and Empowering Women in Kazakhstan

Olivia Darby, Wonder Foundation

In the countryside around Almaty, Kazakhstan, girls have few options. For Fatima's parents seeing her married quickly once she had finished school was a top priority. Fatima had another idea and applied to study at Kumbel. She wanted the option of being independent and marrying someone of her own choosing when she felt ready to make such an important decision.

From rural Honduras to serving the Queen: Lilian’s story

Lilian Vargas Borges, hospitality professional and graduate of WONDER’s partner school in Honduras.

I come from a village near the capital city of Honduras. My family of 12 had a small plot of land where we grew coffee and fruits and vegetables to sell, and my father was a workman. By the age of 7 I was working from early in the morning in the mill to make the dough for the tortillas - a staple food in my country.

How to welcome refugees

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Many people want to do what they can to help refugees once they have arrived in their new home, but it isn't always clear how. As part of Wonder's recent 'A Refugee Like Me' project, young people discussed how they could help refugees just like them at a conference in autumn 2016.

Sweden: A utopia for refugees?

This blog was written by young volunteers from C.A.R.E , a charity and WONDER partner working with migrants and refugees in Sweden.

Rushing to the dance floor whenever your favourite ABBA songs come on. Spending hours scouring through instructions for IKEA flat-packed furniture. Eagerly awaiting the latest episode of True Blood for your weekly dose of Alexander Skarsgård. These are just a number of ideas that might pop into your head when you think of Sweden.

Lessons we can learn from refugees

Ami Saji

Every day our lives intersect with new people. We encounter new faces in all different social settings, but we can never quite predict the impact and influence of each person. However, upon reflection, we all know someone who has made an exceptionally strong imprint, someone who has helped to change your path. For me, this happened when I was working for a refugee resettlement agency in the United States when I met a young woman named Justine (name changed for privacy).

We can help vulnerable refugee women learn English - by listening to them

How young people can build skills for employment in a changing world

Emily Loud, Wonder Foundation

If you’ve never had a job before, how can you get one? This is a real question facing millions of young people across Europe amid uncertainty and high youth unemployment - but they need not despair. In truth, there is an ongoing gap between what young people learn at school and what employers want from them. But whatever their background or career ambitions, young people can find opportunities to learn new skills, even in unexpected places.

4 ways to change women's and girls' lives without an ice bucket

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As the news broke this week that the funds raised by the “Ice Bucket Challenge” viral sensation of 2014 are actually making a difference, we thought it was time to draw up some (less soggy) inspiration of what you can do to raise money to educate women and girls around the world.

Women’s rights and education in Nigeria: breaking the silence

Ozioma Ahaneku, Nigeria Research Intern

My country, Nigeria, is on the western coast of Africa, is popularly known for its oil, corruption and jovial people. It is the most populous country in Africa, home to more than 175 million people, 62.5% of whom are below 25 years old. Nigeria is also very diverse - there are over 250 ethnic groups and more than 500 languages.

Refugees in the media: a “different species”?

Elodie Read, Refugee Education Intern

The media’s portrayal of refugees plays a crucial role in directing the general public’s attitudes towards refugees in real life, so it’s of paramount importance that coverage is accurate, well informed and humane. However, a brief investigation into the British media’s reporting on the unfolding refugee crisis reveals that misleading terminology, exaggerated facts and figures, and emotive metaphors are the norm in tabloids, mid-market newspapers, and broadsheets alike.

After Brexit: why coproduction matters

Olivia Darby, Policy Director at the Wonder Foundation.

Brexit was a surprise on many fronts, but the demographic of those who voted to leave was perhaps some one of the most unexpected things. Many Leave voters came from the poorest parts of England and Wales, and from immigrant backgrounds – those who would be expected to think sympathetically about migration or to be most affected economically by the withdrawal of EU funding.

Making a home for refugee women and girls in London

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“I dream of a day when all women in London can speak English, read and write.” Mae has worked for the Baytree Centre for 21 years. She has seen how education can transform the lives of refugee women in London, bringing them empowerment, friendship and the chance to help their daughters towards a better future.

The Republic of Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country of 17 million people, most commonly associated with oil production, launching rockets from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and, for some, the fictitious Kazakh journalist Borat. When it comes to civil society, international organisations such as Freedom House have described the regime of President Nursultan Nazarbayev as authoritarian, accusing the state of suppressing growth of civil society.

Beyond the big picture – how to become a global citizen

Why "developing world" is a term we can do without

Olivia Darby, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Wonder Foundation.

Sometimes people get confused when we say that we work with vulnerable women and their families both in the UK and overseas. In the UK we are used to charities that focus on other countries, or our own country, but rarely both. When charities work abroad, it means they work in low-income countries. We don’t hear about appeals to donate to families in Spain who have been brought to their knees by the economic crisis, or people destroyed by crystal meth addiction in America’s Appalachians. Instead, many charities fundraise for so-called developing countries – mainly across Africa, Asia and Latin America, with a smattering of sympathy towards children in Eastern Europe (we apparently don’t like the adults who all want to "steal Brtish jobs" so they can provide for their families).

Recent News & Events

Following the Wonder Foundation’s 2016 research, “Women Breaking the English Barrier” and discussions emerging from the NATECLA’s “Towards an ESOL strategy for England” , Wonder Foundation and Beyond the Page want to learn from those working with women who are learning English.